He’s funny, he’s wacky, and he’s got his
hands on a coveted Tony. Fresh from the award-winning Broadway run
of the hit musical “Urinetown,” UCLA alumnus and
theater director extraordinaire John Rando recently directed Steve
Martin’s “The Underpants” at the Geffen Theater,
to rave reviews and an all-round rollickin’ good time.

The bright lights of Broadway are flashing. Consider them
warning lights.
UCLA graduate theater student Jodie Langel’s new tell-all
book on the ins and outs of life on Broadway might ultimately
celebrate that life ““ as do hundreds of other books already
on the shelves.

The survival of independent publishing in a corporate mass media
climate is a classic David and Goliath story, except in this case,
the underdog may not succeed against all odds, and must instead
learn how to coexist with his giant opponent.

It’s funny just imagining how much cleverness went into
creating the delightful silliness that is Steve Martin’s
unabashed “The Underpants,” leaving audiences in
stitches at the Geffen Playhouse now through May 2.

Zero. That’s how many applicants the UCLA theater
directing graduate program admitted this year.
Even though this year’s magic number is only two less than
last year, zero does send a loud and clear message that the
graduate directing program is not an easy fortress to breach.

The hangman’s noose descends upon Macgowan Hall next week
in the form of “The Crucible,” playwright Arthur
Miller’s parable of paranoia and persecution set in Puritan
Massachusetts.

The creator of one of artdom’s hippest magazines
doesn’t even have a office. In fact, he’s never had
one.
From his bedroom to cyberspace, Amir Fallah has always done it
his way.

The art world is teeming with talented young artists vying to be
the next big thing. It’s a scenario that expectedly lends
itself to networking ““ a case of not simply how good you are
and how much you know, but really who you know.

“The Wind Cries Mary” David Henry Hwang
Theater

“Bra burning doesn’t accomplish anything,”
quips Eiko Hanabi, the main character in playwright Philip Kan
Gotanda’s “The Wind Cries Mary,” playing at East
West Players through Feb.

Los Angeles’ Chinatown is perhaps best known for its
quaint, if somewhat scruffy, streets, lined with shop-houses and
buildings that alternate between historically interesting and
downright downtrodden.